News

Mix: iPad in school, iPad theft, Google acquisition, iPad display

By Charles Starrett ● Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Monte Vista Christian School in Watsonville, California has launched a new pilot program with 60 iPads that has advanced placement students using the devices a learning tools. “There are many academic advantages,” said Headmaster Stephen Sharp. “They provide new access to photos, videos, daily newspapers and resource material that enhance the curriculum.” Sharp anticipates replacing heavy, traditional textbooks with interactive versions running on the iPad should the pilot program go well. [via MDN]

A Denver man was the recent victim of a gruesome iPad theft that left him missing a finger. Bill Jordan had just left the Apple retail store in the Cherry Creek Mall, shopping bag wrapped around his his fingers, when two men approached and ripped the bag away, taking much of Jordan’s pinky finger. “I saw just a bone, all the skin and tendons and everything were off,” Jordan said; he was later taken to the hospital, where a hand surgeon was forced to amputate part of his finger. The suspects in the robbery, caught on surveillance footage, have yet to be apprehended.

Google has purchased a startup company launched by former P.A. Semi and Apple employees. PEHub reports that Google has confirmed its acquisition of Agnilux, a somewhat mysterious startup rumored to be working on some kind of server and personally funded with proceeds from Apple’s earlier acquisition of P.A. Semi. Pricing terms of the deal have yet to be revealed; it was recently reported that P.A. Semi founder and former Apple employee Dan Dobberpuhl had left Apple to join his other former P.A. Semi colleagues at Agnilux. [via AppleInsider]

According to an ifoAppleStore report, many Apple retail stores are seeing small problems with their iPad displays after just a few weeks on the market. In particular, the power/security cables connected to the iPad are prone to fraying near the 30-pin connector, due to customers’ tendency to repeatedly spin and rotate the device in many different directions. In addition, many units are now left covered in fingerprints, as cleaning has become “less proactive.”